On micromechanical modeling of orthotropic solids with parallel cracks

Analysis of the results indicates that in the case of parallel nearly flat cracks (strongly oblate spheroids) the overall out-of-plane moduli are best predicted by the differential scheme. On the other hand, Mori-Tanaka scheme should be used for estimation of the in-plane moduli. It also appears that as the cracks are inflated from strongly oblate spheroids to slightly deformed spheres, the best choice of the micromechanical scheme for the out-of-plane properties gradually shifts towards Mori-Tanaka.